Pentax Digitals To Be Re-Badged as Samsung??

I read something on photo.net last night about Pentax withdrawing one of its
digital camera from distribution after having been out for only 6 months,
and that Samsung was introducing what was essentially a Pentax digital
camera model badged as a Samsung. I was in a rush and didn't have time to
study the details. Perhaps this is old news to everyone else.

I am stunned. When considered in the context of the news of the past
year--Bronica ceasing production, Hasselblad selling off its remaining old
stock of classic bodies and lenses and restricting production to that new
plastic digital model (with Hasselblad-branded lenses--not Zeiss--probably
manufactured in the Far East rather than Germany), with Kyocera dumping the
Contax line of 35 and 645 bodies and those excellent Carl Zeiss-designed
lenses, with Leica seemingly on the brink of being forced into bankruptcy,
with Konica Minolta getting out of the camera business after recently
merging, and with Nikon announcing that they will be selling only two bodies
(one of which is manufactured for them by Cosina), it seems that Pentax is
next.

Even though the newest Pentax bodies I have are the P3n and P30T
models--from the late 80s--I always felt a sense of comfort knowing that
Pentax was still there, introducing new models regularly. Now I'm beginning
to feel that we Pentax users are about to be orphaned.

One of the posters on photo.net commented that people should get their 67s
while they're still available. Geez, what is the world coming to? Even
Erwin Puts recently commented that the demand for classic Leica silver
halide photography has dwindled to the point that Leica's future would
depend upon how well its soon-to-be-introduced digital model was accepted.

I have that nagging sense that film cameras in a few years will all be cheap
Chinese knockoffs, like Vivitars (or, God forbid, Zenits made of plastic!).
Lenses will no longer be the precision optics that they have been, but will
be plastic and breakable with the slightest impact. Film cameras to 35mm
will be like Seagulls are to MF--Chinese and chintzy.

It's all very unsettling.

 

The ist-DL is being replaced by the ist-DL2. Minor updates.

Two models, the GX-1S (a rebadged ist-DS2) and the GX-1L (a rebadged
ist-DL).

They're selling the Samsung models in *addition* to the Pentax
equivalents. This just allows them to increase overall production and
move cameras through retail chains that don't currently sell Pentax.
It's a win-win scenario.

Relax. Pentax and Samsung have an agreement in which Pentax will
supply optics and camera design expertise and Samsung will provide
electronics R&D and manufacturing capacity (and marketing clout). The
new 10 megapixel DSLR is the first product of that cooperation.

 

I have read a few items on this issue. It sounds more like some markets
will have the Pentax name, while other markets will have the Samsung
name, though using the same body and electronics. It might end up that
Samsung transitions all this to eventually only use their name. This is
not terrible, since Samsung have a great deal of experience making
imaging chips, and considering all their other businesses should be able
to stay in the market.

Kyocera was in much deeper shit than just their camera division. Leica
actually increased sales by 9% in the last quarter, so it seems they are
getting stable. Unfortunately, I doubt Leica will ever again be anything
more than a very small niche, though if they were smarter about this
they could attract some professionals. The emphasis on collectors has
gone on too long, and has hurt the company. When I read about nearly
1000 Zeiss Ikon body sales a month since introduction, then I know Leica
are going the wrong direction.

I think none should be surprised about Konica Minolta. The merger was
more for the office products market than anything. It almost seems like
inevitable that they would stop camera production, though it seems that
division has some value for lens production to other companies.

Nikon is down to the F6, and a few manual focus lenses. I think they are
a victim of their own older build quality, in that there are just too
many good quality used lenses and recent film SLR bodies still on the
used market. Funny that Zeiss steps in to provide some interesting new
manual focus lens choices for Nikon.

What I think a few professionals are worried over is the end of Pentax
medium format. Other than showing a 645 based digital body, it seems
there has been little interest in continuing.

Take a look at the sales figures for Leica, and you will find that sport
optics and consumer compact cameras have fuelled revenues far greater
than M or R system sales. They have crawled by on selling to consumers,
largely trading on their name and past reputation. I think the market
potential of very high priced "collectors items" cameras has nearly been
filled, and competes too much with their cameras of the past. Read what
Erwin Puts had to say about the MP, then the "a la carte" program, and I
really do agree with him.

Really disagree with that. There are simply too many really good used
choices still on the market. Want high quality new lenses, then get the
Zeiss ZF, ZS, or even the ZM lenses. I even think that low cost 35 mm
SLR photography is still quite alive, because of all that good used.
gear. That volume of used gear is why these companies are getting out of
new film camera sales, except for just enough niche products to satisfy
demand.

 

It might be worth pointing out that the 10 MP sensor is made by Sony,
and is (almost?) identical to the one used in the Nikon D200.

On the other hand, it might not be worth pointing that out.

;-)

 

Any hint when it will announce?